The present invention relates to an adjustable dynamic target system for use with firearms which provides a target that moves when struck and which can be adjusted to provide a selectable dynamic response to firearms with varying caliber and power for shooters with diverse levels of skill.
With the increasing use of body armor, such as bullet proof vests, by criminals and military forces, the head and neck areas remain as practically the only unprotected vital body areas where a gunshot will inflict a disabling wound on an assailant or enemy combatant during a deadly confrontation. For this reason, law enforcement and military agencies have in recent years placed increased emphasis on training their personnel to aim at these vital areas when faced with a life threatening situation.
In the past, firearms training for law enforcement and military personnel has relied upon conventional targeting systems where a target outline of the upper or trunk portion of the human body provides a central aiming point or bullseye in the middle of the chest area. The expertise of an individual marksman was determined by actually inspecting bullet holes made in the target based on their proximity to the central aiming point. In some specialized training environments, dynamic targets were used where a panel in the shape of a human silhouette was hinge mounted at the bottom with a releasable latch mechanism to provide a "knock down" type action when the target was hit, which caused the latch to release allowing the upright target to swing down to a horizontal position. After each hit, the target had to be returned to and latched in its upright position either manually or by expensive automatic reset systems.
With such "knock down" type target systems, the bullet would have to strike in an impact area at some minimum distance from the hinge to create enough torque to overcome the restraining force of the latch mechanism. However, this minimum distance between the impact point and hinge varied depending on the force of the projectile which meant that, with smaller caliber, less powerful firearms, bullets would have to strike higher on the target to overcome a given latch restraining force. Although the restraining force of the latching mechanism might be varied to suit projectiles of different calibers and power, that was for the most part impractical because, given a particular latch setting, frequent adjustments were needed to compensate for wear on the abutting contact surfaces of the mechanism.